Dear friends.
Starting a new project this year, I felt myself swinging between motivation and resistance.
I took notes of my process and recorded the tools I used to get through this tough early phase.
The result is two new songs, “Vampires” and “Wolves at the Door”, which I will be recording in Berlin’s “The Famous Gold Watch Studios” next week.
If you are battling resistance, this guide is for you.
For clarity, I’ve formatted it:
Problem
Solution
Actionable Step
Personal Story
The personal stories are illustrative and can be skipped if you are in a rush. I recommend using the guide over two weeks as there’s lots of stuff to implement.
I hope it’s helpful!
Don’t hesitate to write if there’s anything you want to discuss further.
With love, Jim
NEW PODCAST:
Before we start, here’s this week's Episode!
Finding Inspiration in Failure: Stephen King’s “On Writing”
A Short Guide to Overcoming Creative Resistance
INTRO
Inspirational Quote:
"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." - Anaïs Nin.
Etymological Origin:
The word "resistance" comes from the Latin "resistentia," meaning "to stand against" or "to withstand." With resistance, you are standing against yourself.
Definition:
Resistance is the barrier between you and the creative life you desire.
Psychology:
Carl Jung wrote, “What you resist, persists.”
Mental Preparation:
To overcome resistance, you need to go through it rather than flee from it.
STEP 1: Start Somewhere
Problem: We are so overwhelmed we don’t know where to begin.
Solution: Start Somewhere.
Actionable Tip:
Write down ten things you could do for your project in any order.
Find the smallest one and start there.
Personal Story
I was overwhelmed before editing my documentary “A Conversation With America”. I’d filmed for four months daily, and though I knew there was a special film in there, I had no idea where to start. I spoke with my friend Chris. He said, “Jim, don’t think of it as a documentary; think of it as a series of sketches. Just start somewhere”. I wrote it down and framed it, and this mantra remains on my wall to this day.
STEP 2: Discard Productivity Systems
Problem: Distracted by digital productivity systems.
Solution: Go full analogue.
Actionable Tip:
Every day, start with a blank piece of paper.
Write down five tasks (no more).
Don’t start step 2 till step 1 is complete.
At the end of the day, throw out the page.
Personal Story
I’ve experimented with most productivity apps. I find them draining. You end up managing the app itself. Don’t let the medium become an impediment. The creative mind wants simplicity as its basis. Keep your To-Do list analogue. This system revolutionised my life. I had to read 100 productivity books to realise I needed to make my own.
STEP 3: Redefine “Morning Routines”
Problem: Your energy depletes from extensive prep before starting creative work.
Solution: Make creative work itself your morning routine.
Actionable Tip:
Discard activities which dissipate your creative energy.
Know where and at what time you will start.
Personal Story
During the pandemic, I had to redefine my structures. Since no work was coming in, I decided to write each morning. I didn’t realise I was building a habit that would change my life. Writing shapes my intention and sharpens my thinking. All creativity is language, so I’ve made writing the keystone for all my other activities.
STEP 4: Confront Procrastination
Problem: Distraction fragments focus.
Solution: Control your environment.
Actionable Tip: Leave your phone in another room.
Personal Story
With creativity, there is one overlooked superpower: concentration. Over the last five years, I have worked on this as a daily practice. It takes ongoing work. But my creative capacity has been revolutionised through it.
STEP 5: Allocate Places for Tasks
Problem: We don’t know what we are doing where.
Solution: Allocate a physical space for each activity.
Actionable Tip:
Take the work you do.
Separate it into three.
Make a routine of doing each one in a different place.
Personal Story
This year, I moved into a new studio. In this studio, I do no emailing, no texting and nothing online. I am back into a wonderful groove after six months of struggling to practise musically (due to work and too much mental mush). Knowing “this is what I do there” is the key to this change. Pro tip: have one space where no digital life is welcome.
STEP 6: Miniature Goals
Problem: Overwhelmed with the size of our dreams.
Solution: Break it down into the smallest components.
Actionable Tip: Make a To-Do List. THEN - make a second list and divide one thing into five miniature tasks. Make them so easy that your 5-year-old self could do them!
Personal Story
I went through a period last year where I found myself mentally blocked from “demoing”. I had lost the practice. I am finding that this year, instead of writing “make a demo” on my list, I put down “record the acoustic guitar”. As soon as I start, I’m in. The mind is a jester. Trick it.
STEP 7: Find Solace in Solitude
Problem: You resist the internal journey because it is hard.
Solution: Embrace solitude as a sacred space.
Actionable Tip: Dedicate time for solitude three times a week, even for an hour or a day.
Personal Story
My new documentary, “The Isolation Diaries”, came from the longest solitude I’ve known. The paradox is that the one thing I did not want to do was to shoot a documentary. However, with so many months alone, you notice how the silence speaks to you. Listen long enough, and you hear its will to be expressed. Remember: creativity only has two demands: time and space. Make those your inputs, and it will take care of the outputs.
STEP 8: Accept the Challenge
Problem: Expecting the creative process to be easy.
Solution: Accept that creativity involves struggle and transformation.
Actionable Tip:
Show up regularly.
Plan when you will show up.
Ideally, schedule it (every week).
Stick to it.
If you miss a day, forgive yourself and start again.
Personal Story
When I left my first band, it was extraordinarily traumatic. Part of the trauma was that being in the band compensated for my musical holes. Going solo meant that I had to confront what I was. And undergo the journey of who I could be. At times, it felt like a type of hell - to feel you were years away. One day, my brother introduced me to Joseph Campbell, and I understood this was my challenge. No one else could do it for me. That day, I wrote a song called “The Hero”, one of my best. It showed me that I could get to the level of the people who inspired me. More importantly, it helped me understand that the creative process is a struggle because its purpose is to transform you. Showing up is not just about creating something; it’s the courage to become who you were meant to be.
STEP 9: Define Professional Discipline
Problem: Rushing through learning or creation.
Solution: Practice with humility and discipline.
Actionable Tip:
Establish a professional routine.
Make a discipline of what you least feel like doing.
Personal Story
My resistance is the “settled mind” required to improve at the piano. I realised I was always rushing, but I was never getting better by rushing. Now, I only consider myself practising if two things are happening. First, the timer is on and second, the metronome is clicking.
STEP 10: Manage Context Shifting
Problem: Multitasking - context switching between tasks.
Solution: Focus on uninterrupted creative work.
Actionable Tip: Use the Pomodoro for focused work sessions.
Personal Story
I love Cal Newport's book “Deep Work” so much that I dedicated a whole podcast episode to it! A key takeaway was realising that switching between tasks is another form of modern distraction. Moreover, it is a huge energy drain because your energy seeps out neurologically in increments. Deep work is now at the centre of my working life.
STEP 11: Done is Better than Perfect
Problem: Aiming for perfection.
Solution: Understand that completion is better than perfection.
Actionable Tip: Focus on completing a task rather than perfecting it.
Personal Story
With my most recent song, “Wolves at the Door”, I was resisting writing the lyrics. However, because I am recording it this Monday, I had no choice but to write the lyrics. It didn’t matter that I didn’t feel like it or inspired. As such, I decided to knuckle down and hack out a draft. I couldn’t believe it—the effort to make something “good enough” brought out lyrics that, though simple, resonate. Done may be better than perfect - but perfect often comes from the doing. If in doubt, get on with the doing!
STEP 12: Turn Professional
Problem: Treating creativity as a hobby.
Solution: Treat your creative work with the seriousness of a professional.
Actionable Tip: Dedicate specific times and places for your work and adhere to them strictly.
Personal Story
Some creative pursuits are meant to be a hobby. But our mindset has to change once we want to make a life and career from it. It is no longer “just” the fun thing we do on the side. Like any profession, We must develop the capacity to show up for it. That doesn’t mean we always feel like doing it. As Picasso said: 'Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.' The longer you work with creativity as a life path (rather than as a hobby), the more you have to adhere to the process of what it requires. Inspiration is fickle, but I can’t help but be intrigued by the person always inviting it.
STEP 13: The Audacity of Self-Belief
Problem: Sabotage ourselves by not feeling good enough or thinking nothing is worthwhile.
Solution: Your following action defines your whole life; put your heart into it.
Actionable Tip: When your mind turns negative, tidy something up. Taking out the trash clears your space, moves the body and shifts your perspective.
Personal Story
I struggled last year more than I ever had done as a songwriter. “The Isolation Diaries” songwriting cycle was complete, and I felt proud of it. But I had hit a creative dead end. I desperately questioned my musical future. I was so busy that I wasn’t making the time for the “muse” to visit. And because it wasn’t visiting, I wondered: “Am I done?”. This year, I’ve decided to take on the demon. There is something in me that wants to come out. Sometimes, you have to choose audacity - even beyond your questioning.
STEP 14: Public Accountability
Problem: We wait for the “right” time before launching a project.
Solution: Make yourself publicly accountable.
Actionable Tip:
Put a launch date in the diary on day one. Announce it.
Personal Story
Last year, I underwent terrible resistance before starting the edit of “The Isolation Diaries” documentary. I had so much footage but no clear story or chronology. However, I had promised myself to finish the film by the year's end. So, I had to find a way to kick myself into action. And so I booked a cinema screening. It put huge pressure on me but cajoled me, I believe, into making my best film.
STEP 15: Improvement Mantra
Problem: We are vague about how we can improve.
Solution: Create a review system.
Actionable Tip:
Make a time at the end of each week to write down where you fell short. The following week, improve it.
Personal Story
This year, I’m enjoying reviewing my week. Usually, I’m very instinctive with my process. However, I notice that it’s always the same things that don’t get done. Having a review system is helping me. For instance, using Instagram Stories is a great way to directly connect with one’s audience. I enjoy connecting, but I resist the doing. The review system helps me see what I am resisting, acknowledge it, and gently resolve to improve.
STEP 16: Start Today
Problem: Putting off our projects till tomorrow.
Solution: Go all in on your life today.
Actionable Tip: Initiate a small task related to your project today.
Personal Story
To take it back to the start: Start Somewhere!
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